


the cradle will rock

by peachsneakers



Series: sanders sides agere [18]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Cuddling, Fluff, Gen, Insomnia, Platonic Moxiety, Shapeshifting, moxiety - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:53:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24267730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachsneakers/pseuds/peachsneakers
Summary: Patton helps Virgil fall asleep.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders
Series: sanders sides agere [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1618099
Comments: 13
Kudos: 155





	the cradle will rock

**Author's Note:**

> anon prompt: "Could you maybe write something for Moxiety? Maybe Patton is trying to help Virgil when he can’t sleep. (Maybe Virgil is a toddler or actual age, either one)"

Patton raises an eyebrow in surprise when he steps back into Virgil's room, the rambunctious toddler still sitting up in his bed-turned-crib, holding his stuffed bat tight to his chest. He thought the anxious side would be tired out after a long evening of coloring, watching Pixar movies, and eating more snacks than a child his size should be able to put away. Instead, he looks just as awake as he did when Patton first entered his room to wake him for breakfast and discovered that today was a regression day. And not only that, but Virgil had ended up actually shapeshifting to be toddler-sized, something he only did when Thomas was particularly stressed.

"Baby bat," he says, catching Virgil's attention. "What's the matter? Aren't you sleepy?"

"Nuh uh," Virgil denies, shaking his head vigorously. A jaw-cracking yawn betrays the sentiment. 

"You look sleepy to me," Patton says, trying to keep his tone light and soothing. Sometimes Virgil just doesn't want to sleep. It's all well and good when he's an adult (it's not like Patton could _force_ him to fall asleep), but when he's a child, he needs his rest. He didn't even take a nap today, Patton realizes, and frowns.

"I'm tired," Virgil informs him. "Not sleepy. There's a _difference_."

Well, Patton can't argue there. Virgil's right. Tired is infinitely worse than sleepy, and he winces in sympathy. Summoning a chair, he pulls it up next to Virgil's bed and settles in.

"What would help you sleep?" Patton asks. "That I can do," he hastily amends, remembering the time Virgil wished for a magic dragon that spit out purple flames. Roman laughed at him for a week after he tried to shapeshift himself and got stuck halfway through. At least his top half had been Barney-hued dragon and Virgil had found it entertaining, not frightening.

"Read me a story?" Virgil requests shyly, still clutching his bat plushie to his chest. Patton finds himself quietly relieved that Virgil has latched onto this one tonight, not his spider plushie. He'll never show it around Virgil, but the multi-legged stuffed animal still freaks him out.

"Of course!" Patton says. "Any requests, storm cloud?" Virgil ponders for a moment, his fingers worrying at his stuffed bat's ears.

"Rabbit story," Virgil says. Patton blinks at him in surprise.

" _The Velveteen Rabbit_?" He inquires, in clarification. Virgil shakes his head.

" _Creepy Carrots!_ " He cheers. Patton opens his mouth to say that perhaps that one isn't appropriate when you're trying to fall asleep, but promptly closes it. It is _Virgil_ he's talking about, after all.

"All right," he says, summoning the book. "But I don't think I should read it all. It's a pretty long book, kiddo."

"So?" Virgil asks. "It takes a loooong time for me to get sleepy." He settles against his pillows, pulling his purple-patched blanket all the way up to his chin and cuddling his stuffed bat tight. Patton can't help but smile at the picture he makes.

"Here we go," he says, opening the book. " _Jasper Rabbit had a passion for carrots..._ "

As he reads the trials and tribulations of Jasper Rabbit (not to mention the carrots), he watches Virgil's eyelids droop more and more, his tight grasp on his plushie starting to slacken. Finally, before he's reached the middle of the story, Virgil is sound asleep. Smiling, Patton summons a bookmark and neatly tucks it in the book. He doubts that Virgil will still be regressed in the morning, but if he is, at least Patton won't have lost his place.

"Good night, baby bat," Patton whispers and turns on the lightning bolt-shaped nightlight, the warm golden glow contrasting against the purple fairy lights twinkling above Virgil's bed. He hesitates before he stands up.

_Well, I probably shouldn't leave him alone... What if he needs me during the night?_

A silent snap of his fingers and his chair elongates into a recliner, giving Patton a semblance of bed. He summons his own blanket and snuggles up, ears attuned to Virgil's every shift in position. Before long, he's fast asleep.

When he wakes up, the crib is back to a regular bed and Virgil's gone. In his place, a folded note sits on Patton's copy of _Creepy Carrots_. He unfolds it to read, in jagged purple letters:

_Thanks._

**Author's Note:**

> i just googled kid books about rabbits and wouldn't you know, creepy carrots sounds like something kid virgil would like lmao


End file.
